Kenyan Languages, Traditions & Culture

  Kenya

• Mombasa: 
Mombasa

Dates: through out the year

Description: Throughout, students engage with local community members to gain a deeper understanding of the influence of Swahili across the region's diverse nations, religions, and ethnicities, further enrich each student's personal experience while creating a cultural framework for the study of the long history among Swahili speakers. An excursion to the stunning and historically-significant Lamu archipelago offers students additional exposure to the region's dynamic history, language and cultural richness.

Accommodation will be at the Beach Africa, a unique hostel, the only one of its kind in the whole Africa. The Student gets to live in real traditional surroundings, but in a unique African, cultural setup of rustic accommodation at the beach. Surrounded by a local traditional fisherman's village, overlooking mangrove gardens and the Indian ocean. Located at an entrance of the famous Mtwapa water channel, two fundamental historical slave trade sites. The Location is fully registered by the local authorities and recommended by Prof. Shaban a world reknowned Kiswahili professor and member of the national museum of Kenya.

* Students will experience first hand, the kenyan traditional living in a local village, discover the original way of food production.
* learn kiswahli, language, culture and traditions
* discover Lamu archipelago
* have several educational excursions to fundamental historical sites

Highlights: The Highlight of the program is the Excursion to Lamu. The archipelago contains several archaeological/historical sites of great significance. Some have been partially excavated in later years, shedding important new light on Swahili history and culture.

Another highligh is the full day and one overnight stay in a typical traditional kenyan village, this extra ordinary experience and meaningful insight into understanding the culture and traditions. The Student will experience first hand traditional food production, the local way, the construction of local Mud houses and experience living in a traditional local communitiy while studying and applying kiswahili language.

The most exciting is their stay at the hostel,the Beach Africa,a very unique and comfortable accomodation at the beach, the only one of its kind. here, students experience the local way of life of a fisherman, taste typical kenyan cusine, and take language and ecological study classes from the local village elders. the beach africa hostel is located nearby historical sites and monuments which further support the understanding of the swahili culture and kenyan history.

Cost in US$: 1680 USD per 3 weeks

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Kenya Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 5+

Application Process Involves:

• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

The Beach Africa Community's Mission Statement: What we do: 1. Implementing Community Projects to uplift the local lively hood. 2. Supporting local community schools through voluntary help and assistance, 3. Implementing Envirnomental Projects, Workshops and Community Activities. The Beach Africa is not only a self-sustainable Project, it is also the Organizer of the Treeunity - a Tree planting Movement in Africa and the base for the Beach Turtle Conservation and Community Center. The Beach Africa Community as a Community Based Organisation (CBO), has been responsible for the development of the Maweni community in Mtwapa, Kenya. Through the CBO a community heaven for volunteers has been created attracting hundreds of young national and international volunteers who travel from all over the world to come to Maweni to help the local community schools, teaching conservation and environmental sustainability, beach cleaning, mangrove replanting, turtle conservation and intercultural exchange or just enjoy their holidays at The Beach Africa.

Year Founded: 2005